Montana resident Arthur “Jack” Schubarth, aged 81, was handed a six-month prison sentence on Monday, September 30, for perpetrating a long-running scheme to breed enormous – and illegal – hybrid sheep.
Between 2013 and 2021, the court heard, Schubarth conspired with at least five other individuals to get his criminal enterprise off the ground. It began with the illegal importation of parts of the largest species of sheep in the world – the Marco Polo argali sheep (Ovis ammon polii) – from Kyrgyzstan. Genetic material from the parts was used to created cloned embryos that Schubarth implanted into ewes on his ranch, resulting in the birth of a single male sheep.
With a horn span greater than 1.5 meters (5 feet) and tipping the scales at over 136 kilograms (300 pounds), these are some seriously big sheep. Schubarth gave the male a fitting moniker: Montana Mountain King, or MMK for short.
To bring the plot to fruition, MMK’s semen was used to impregnate various species of ewes on the farm – all of which were prohibited in the state – resulting in the birth of hybrid animals.
Schubarth and co-conspirators then went even further, forging veterinary certificates in order to get the illegal hybrids out of Montana and onto the market. Semen from MMK was sold directly to other breeders, and Schubarth also illegally purchased and sold parts of wild-caught native Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep.
“Schubarth’s criminal conduct is not how Montanans treat our wildlife population,” said US Attorney Jesse Laslovich for the District of Montana in a statement. “Indeed, his actions threatened Montana’s native wildlife species for no other reason than he and his co-conspirators wanted to make more money.”
As the owner of the 87-hectare (215-acre) Sun River Enterprises LLC, also known as Schubarth Ranch, Schubarth bred and sold “alternative livestock” like mountain goats and sheep, mostly to game ranches where people pay for the chance to shoot trophy animals. Much of this market is based in Texas, where such “captive hunting ranches” offer the opportunity to hunt both native and more exotic species.
It appears Schubarth reasoned that the proprietors of such businesses would likely pay a premium for gigantic hybrid sheep.
Schubarth has now been sentenced to two felony wildlife crimes: conspiracy to violate the Lacey Act, and substantively violating the Lacey Act. The Act aims to prevent invasive species importation and combat wildlife trafficking by criminalizing the interstate trade of wildlife that has been falsely labeled, or possessed in violation of federal or state law.
On top of the custodial sentence, Schubarth will be required to pay a total of $24,200 in various fines.
Sadly, there were also tragic consequences for some of the animals involved. The court heard that Schubarth’s practices introduced a risk of disease to his flocks, and at least two sheep died from Johne’s disease, a chronic wasting illness caused by a subspecies of Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis bacteria.
“This case exemplifies the serious threat that wildlife trafficking poses to our native species and ecosystems,” commented Edward Grace, Assistant Director of the US Fish and Wildlife Service’s Office of Law Enforcement. “Mr. Schubarth’s actions not only violated multiple laws designed to protect wildlife, but also risked introducing diseases and compromising the genetic integrity of our wild sheep populations.”
“This sends a clear message that we will not tolerate the illegal importation, sale and transport of wildlife, especially when it endangers our natural heritage.”
